Personally, I've always been a fan of cauliflower; it's like brocollis shy and underrated cousin.
READ ALSO:ย Canada Issues Country-Wide Recall On Spinach
The reasonย cauliflower is an incredible vegetableย - yes, I just said incredible and vegetable in the same sentence, is because of its endless versatility.
Bottom line: Cauliflower doesn't taste like anything really. Similar to tofu, so it makes a great blank canvasย and vehicle for all kinds of other delectable flavors.ย Cover it in cheese and oil and stick it in the oven and - poof, you've got a healthy side dish ready in minutes.
In fact, Cauliflower isn't just "healthy," despite its misleadingย pale color, this cruciferous superhero is packed with Vitamin C and K and is very high in fiber as well.
With that said, it's about time Canada's Pizza Pizza got on the "healthy food" train like everyone else. Other fast-food chains like A&W are trying to add some variety to their menu with veggie options like the "Beyond Meat" burger, also reviewed by me here.
But enough with the nutrition lesson, let's get to the good stuff.
When I arrived at Pizza Pizza, I asked if I could just buy a slice of the new cauliflower crust and they informedย me that I had to buy a whole pie.ย Oh well. I paid $16 for a medium pie that I modestly customized with only cheese and pepperoni. Although - you can customize it with how every many toppings you want.
As you can see from the photos, at first glance, this looks like a regular pizza. There is absolutely no way you could discern with your eyes only that this crust was made from vegetables.
I carried the pizza home on the metro and eagerly took my first bite as soon as I walked into my apartment.
My first knee-jerkย reaction was that the Pizza Pizza guy messed up my order.ย I spent a couple minutes picking apart the dough and closely examining it, even smelling it to attempt to get a whiff of cauliflower.ย I was stunned, it REALLY tastes like regular dough.
In the past, I've attempted to whip up my own cauliflowerย crust at home. Just a quick warning: If you also have, do not expect this stuff to taste like the dough you made from a fresh head of cauliflower with your own two hands.
After a couple more bites and chin scratching, it didย start to become a little more earthy in taste, and the texture is slightly more crumbly than a traditional wheat-based dough pizza. This was, in fact, cauliflower dough - phew.
Although I did think to myself, "this can't only be made from vegetables."ย Or can it?
I needed to satisfy myย curiosity about the precise ingredients in this miracle veggie dough. So - I did a little research and discovered that low and behold dough is not only made from cauliflower - of course, but alsoย corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, and other stabilizer-typeย ingredients. It's no wonder it tastes almost as starchy and fluffy as regular dough.
Overall, I give this pizza a favorable rating forย "fast food" style pizza, the quality / prep-time ratio was spot on.
I think it's also a great option for those who are celiac or gluten sensitive as this crust is actually gluten-free.
For more info on Cauliflower Crust Pizza, click HERE!